having graduated from c to 5k , i have started on the k plus plan, I loved the speed one but have struggled with the stepping stones and stamina ones. i have been on a calorie controlled diet since new year and in the last 2 weeks have given up sugar. I feel a bit funny , but put that down to my body adjusting, but i just seem to run out of energy soon into a run and have to stop.. im a bit of a tubs so its not like i will run out of fat reserves any time soon.. any ideas?

Try a banana if you like them about an hour before you run, it always gives me a boost to get through runs. Before I took a break from running I enjoyed the speed podcast and the stepping stones one, the latter was tougher than the former I thought and I never did get through the stamina one the couple of times I tried.

I've just finished week 5 of c25k, hoping to take on the stamina and win once I graduate. Keep it up, I am sure you'll do it at some point

P.S I've got about 7 stone to lose so know what its like to be a tubs and run, it is hard but we get out there and we get there

Hiya. I too gave up sugar and caffeine in the New Year but I've been lucky not to have any fatigue. I'm vegan so I long ago learned to get my energy from nuts and seeds. A 30 gram portion of almonds or mixed raw nuts usually gives me what I need to get through a run. Good luck!!

You might want to consider a healthy eating plan instead of calorie controlled diet that bans certain foods such as sugar. I was pretty fat a year ago-the thought of getting on the scales was too humiliating so I don't know how much I weighed but I took around a size 18. I started c25k as a challenge but didn't diet, I just was more careful about what I ate. Something happened during c25k which changed the type of foods I craved which combined with exercise started a slow weight loss. I'm now size 10-12 and will be running a hm soon. I'm sure I could have lost weight much more quickly on a calorie controlled diet but I'm not sure if I could have stuck to it and kept the weight off as I've done that before and it's miserable! Some one suggested having nuts and seeds-that's great advice and something else that's helped me loose weight.

I don't normally eat a lot of sugar, I don't really like cakes, jam, or chocolate, but I have found I either run out of energy on a run or worse, after I've finished I can feel really drained. So, I started putting quite a lot of sugar on my pre-run porridge and that has done the trick. That said, I am not trying to lose weight, so you will have to experiment and find what works for you. The suggestion about bananas is a good one. You have to fuel those runs somehow xx

Can I say a big thank you for the replies and encouragement from everyone, its made one heck of a difference. Think with stopping sugar I just wasnt getting enough calories to get through this and I felt beat . However, sun shine today and armed with my fave woolly hat and trainers , ( fave, not woolly) and banana consumed I set off on my third stamina podcast having aborted the first 2 early on....I found I wasnt tripping and skipping and yelling 1234 in my head and panicking, I just went with it, and guess what? I ran, a longer time, further distance and faster than ever before, Id done 5k before the last 5 minutes, am so chuffed . It is a bit tricky, but my whole technique changed, and my steps were shorter, quicker and lighter.Even up hills where I usually lean forward slow right down and take bigger strides, became just a case of shortening my stride a little, and keeping to the beat. the last energising 5 minutes I thought would be going hell for leather till I collapsed, but again its just light short quick steps. I really hated this podcast but after today I love it , and Im over the moon. Thanks to all for helping me stick to it and pushing me through the tough stuff..... 3 pancakes for me.. yum!!